BobGreenwade Posted November 21, 2010 Report Share Posted November 21, 2010 Re: Cosmic Centurions As a bit of a boost, I've posted The Starkillers on the "Create a Villain Theme Team" thread. These guys ought to give the Centurions a bit of a challenge. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Major Tom 2009 Posted November 22, 2010 Report Share Posted November 22, 2010 Re: Cosmic Centurions Enemies of the Cosmic Centurions The Darkhunters (Messengers of Night Eternal, The Handmaidens of Entropy) (Warning: long post) Of all those who serve Lord Dark Matter, none instill such a sense of dread in the hearts and minds of the military and political leaders of the free worlds as do the Darkhunters, the elite commando assassins who serve the Emperor of the Infinite Reaches. Simply hearing the phrase "A Darkhunter is coming for you" is enough to cause even the least- concerned military or political leader to immediately increase his or her security measures, in the hope that enough obstacles can be placed in the way of his or her would-be assassin to discourage her from the attempt. Unfortunately, by the time the victim recieves such a warning, it's usually too late, as the Darkhunter is already within striking range and ready to execute her mission. A garrotte around the neck, a dose of fast-acting poison, or a dagger through the back of the head -- any of these meth- ods of killing will do, once the Darkhunter gets close enough to strike; a simple enough matter, as all of them are mistresses of disguise, able to impersonate a member of the opposite sex if necessary. More often than not, however, they choose to disguise them- selves as a trusted friend or family member in order to accomplish the mission. Sometimes, though, they choose to kill their victims in a somewhat less personal and up-close fashion; preferring to kill the target with a well-placed shot to the head from a Gauss rifle from about 3,000 meters away. Military bases and fortified outposts fare no better when it comes to dealing with the Handmaidens of Entropy; ever since their appearance on the battlefields of the free worlds, numerous armed patrols have set out from their fully-intact and functional bases, only to return hours later to find their base or outpost in flames, and their fell- ow soldiers and officers slaughtered like sheep. Few indeed are those who have sur- vived such a visit from the Darkhunters; fewer still are those who have seen them and lived to tell the tale. Other than their methods of assassination and wholesale slaughter, virtually nothing is known of the Darkhunters; the few pieces of information that have been uncovered were gained at a terrible cost in lives -- the Darkhunters take their secrecy very seriously. That they are, without exception, all female, is the one piece of information about them that was gained without any bloodshed whatsoever; every other item of intelligence about them that the free worlds has managed to acquire thus far has cost the lives of dozens of their best agents. One of the most important facts that has been discovered so far is that, although there are sufficient numbers of Darkhunters to form a Legion-sized unit, Lord Dark Matter has not done so; there is speculation that, in spite of their importance to his plans of conquest, Lord Dark Matter is wary of having all of his most elite com- mando assassins in one group, where an ambitious underling might be tempted to try and subvert the unit en masse to his or her side. For this reason, it is believed, Lord Dark Matter has broken up the Darkhunters into smaller units and distributed them throughout his forces, which has had the result of allowing him to have a Dark- hunter presence anywhere that he needs to in his theater of operations. The largest unit which has been allowed to exist is the 5th Cohort of the 1st Shadow Legion. Another, more recent discovery has been the names of two of the more prominent figures in the Darkhunter hierarchy. The first of these is an enigmatic young woman named Shae Sussari, who has been tentatively identified as the Commandant of the Darkhunters; this would imply that she has the responsibility for training the killing machines who serve Lord Dark Matter with absolute, fanatical loyalty. Sussari is the only Darkhunter whose face is known to the intelligence agencies of the free worlds, as she does not wear the identity-concealing, skull-like helmet of her graduates. Shae Sussari appears to be in, what would be for an Earth female, her early thirties, with black hair worn in a ponytail, dark eyes, pointed ears (not as pointed as Night- veil's, but noticeable nonetheless) and a slightly tan complexion. She usually wears the officer's uniform of Lord Dark Matter's forces, with the trim being a lighter shade of red than that common to the Nth Legion. The only weapon she is known to carry is a commando-style dagger. The second figure who has been identified as being of considerable importance is the commanding Tribune of the 1st Shadow Legion's 5th Cohort, a woman known only as N'Hila. Nothing whatsoever is known of her appearance, as she has never been seen without the "alien death's-head" helmet that is the trademark of the Darkhunters. On the few occasions that she has been out of uniform (usually during an assassinaton assignment), she has been disguised so effectively that identification of any kind was impossible to make. As a Tribune of the Shadow Legion, N'Hila wears the officer's uni- form of Lord Dark Matter's forces, but with the purple trim of the 1st SL. Like Shae Sussari, Tribune N'Hila only carries a commando-style dagger; if she carries any other weapons, they have not yet been discovered. Appearance: the Darkhunters all wear the standard uniform of Lord Dark Matter's army, with the addition of what some have called the "alien death's head" helmet, which completely conceals their facial features, as well as details like hair color and style, and the shape of their ears. Weapons: Darkhunter officers tend to carry a light weapons load -- usually no more than a dagger or a Gauss pistol, sometimes both at once. The 'enlisted' types, on the other hand, pack a heavier load: a Gauss rifle (useful both for eliminating enemy soldiers as well as enemy armored vehicles), a half-dozen "Blacklight" grenades (to blind and disorient the enemy; Darkhunter helmets have special optics which enable them to see in the "Blacklight"-induced darkness), and a pair of daggers. When a particularly vicious massacre is called for, a machete-type blade is added to the load- out. Tactics: regardless of the assignment they are given -- assassination, commando assault, or (on rare occasions) a mission to kidnap someone of importance to Lord Dark Matter's plans -- the Darkhunters approach it in the same way as any other assignment: with great patience, meticulous planning, and absolutely ruthless effic- iency. When operating as a group, they will make effective use of distractions, al- lowing a teammate to accomplish her mission while they keep the opposition busy. Where an assassination is concerned -- the only kind of mission where a Darkhunter will be operating on her own -- disguise and role camouflage (acting whose purpose is to make an enemy see who or what they expect to see) will be used until such time as she can get close enough to her target to carry out the assassination. Some- times the Darkhunter herself will let it be known that an assassination attempt will be made, for the purpose of causing enough of an upheaval in the target's security to give her the opening she needs to strike. Once the mission is accomplished, she then makes her way to where she can escape; if escape is impossible, however, she will kill as many of her enemies as possible in an attempt to force them to kill her, so that she cannot be made to reveal any secrets. Major Tom 2009 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Major Tom 2009 Posted November 22, 2010 Report Share Posted November 22, 2010 Re: Cosmic Centurions Late last night, I got a PM from The Arc about a character related to LDM's forces, and he's left it up to me to come up with a backstory for her. So here it goes: Enemies of the Cosmic Centurions (Warning: long post) Shamballah the Huntress (Seeker of Vengeance, Mistress of the Creeping Death, Emissary of Lord Dark Matter) Throughout the unwritten history of the universe, there have been advanced races -- Precursors, Preservers, Progenitors; call them what you will -- whose mandate has been to ensure that the most advanced and peaceful societies of any world that harbors intelligent life have the opportunity to develop further and to thrive. To this end, they have taken parts of these societies and planted them on other habitable worlds, and allowed them to develop on their own without interference. One such society was a group whose ancestors had been transplanted from Earth centuries ago, and was made up of people from the most peaceful and advanced tribes of the African continent. Over the centuries, this society had progressed very far in its cultural and scientific development, to the point that they eventually developed spaceflight technology. There were, however, still groups on the their world who continued to live according to the ancient traditions of their ancestors, growing their own crops and hunting game animals for food when necessary. And it was to one of these communities that a great tragedy -- in the form of the Nega- Centurion -- befell. Striking without warning of any kind, the Nega-Centurion laid waste to the small community, destroying homes and killing anyone who tried to stop him -- as well as anyone who tried to run. One such group that tried to defend the community was led by a young woman named Zaraya, one of the most skilled huntresses in the community. Leading a charge against the Nega-Centurion, Zaraya narrowly avoided death when one of the Nega-Centurion's energy blasts exploded nearby, knocking her unconscious and sending her flying into a pile of wreckage. Being hidden by the wreckage as she was was all that saved her from joining her family and friends in death as the Nega-Centurion finished destroying her home. Hours after the destruction of Zaraya's home, a small reconnaisance party of Nth Legionnaires landed secretly on the planet, close to the remains of the small com- munity. As the party searched the remains of the community in an attempt to fig- ure out what had happened, the Decurion commanding the party found Zaraya, who had begun to regain consciousness by that time. Although she couldn't under- stand his language, Zaraya understood from his tone that he was asking what had happened, and in response, drew a five-pointed star on the ground with a diagonal slash running through it. Realizing that the Nega-Centurion was responsible for the devastation all around him, the Decurion also realized that this sole surviving woman represented an opportunity for Lord Dark Matter -- an opportunity for what, he didn't know, but he knew without a doubt that his master would find it. Calling their retrival ship, the recon party took Zaraya with them to Lord Dark Matter's personal starship, where her injuries were treated, and where she was surgically implanted with a universal translator, enabling her to understand and to speak in other languages. Eventually, Zaraya was brought before Lord Dark Matter who (surprisingly enough) treated her kindly, asking her what had happened. As the young woman began to relate her story, Lord Dark Matter listened intently, the beginnings of a plan already taking shape in his mind. By the time that Zaraya finished telling her story, he knew exactly what he was going to do. Lord Dark Matter told her that the Nega-Centurion was the enforcer for a band of ruthless tyrants who called themselves the Cosmic Centurions, and that it was their normal procedure to send the Nega-Centurion to destroy those who would dare to stand against them. He also told her that he and his forces were all that stood between the Cosmic Centurions and their conquest of the galaxy, and that had he known of what had been planned for her world, he would have done all in his power to prevent it. Enraged by what she'd been told, Zaraya pleaded with Lord Dark Matter to help her to get revenge on the Nega-Centurion and his Cosmic Centurion masters. He told her that, while he himself couldn't give her what she needed to take her vengeance, there were those who could. The day after their conversation, Lord Dark Matter introduced Zaraya to Shae Sussari, Commandant of the Darkhunters, who accepted the young woman as a Darkhunter trainee in spite of the fact that she was older than the average trainee. Fueled by her determination and desire for vengeance, Zaraya quickly mastered every facet of Darkhunter training; indeed, she went thr- ough the curriculum so quickly that her instructors actually had time to give her advanced training in the use of her favorite weapon, the spear. Upon the completion of her training, Lord Dark Matter decided that, instead of mak- ing Zaraya one of the Darkhunters, he would send her out into the galaxy as his em- issary -- his ears, his eyes, and his voice to those who would oppose the Cosmic Centurions. On the day of her graduation from the training facility, Lord Dark Matter asked Zaraya if there was any name by which she wished to be known by. Zaraya replied that the woman she had been died along with her family and friends on that day, and that now and forevermore there was only Shamballah the Huntress. For her first assignment, Lord Dark Matter sent her to find the group known as the Starkillers, and to become their liason with his forces. Appearance: Shamballah, although trained as a Darkhunter, is not one of them, and therefore does not wear the Darkhunter uniform. What she does wear is a stylized version of her world's traditional garb for women: a sleeveless black top with a pur- ple skirt that reaches to her ankles, and which is slit up the left side and shows the left leg. Her midriff is left bare, and she wears a pair of purple-and-black bracers on her wrists; an identical pair of bands are worn on her legs just above the ankles. She normally goes barefoot. Shamballah has black hair, which is worn in a large bun, brown eyes and light brown skin. Skills and Powers: Shamballah has recieved complete training as a Darkhunter, and is more than capable of acting as an assassin should Lord Dark Matter require it. She is also a skilled natural gymnast, which skill she uses to great effect in combat. While she has recieved training in the use of every weapon used by the Nth Legion, the 1st Shadow Legion, and the Darkhunters, her weapon of choice is the spear. In terms of powers, she has only those abilities which have been given to her as a result of advanced biochemical treatments: enhanced agility and coordination, im- munity to aging and disease, and high resistance to damge of any kind. She is also capable of running faster than a normal human being, but is not a speedster. Weapons: Shamballah carries only one weapon -- a spear made from super-strong, unbreakable alloys, and which incorporates two items of high technology. The first of these is a molecular compression field, which enables Shamballah to reduce the length of the spear from six feet in length to just under a foot long (about the same size as a dagger). The second is far more deadly: a nanoweapon delivery system concealed within the tip of the spear. All she needs to do is lightly jab an opponent with the spear, and a small amount of nanobots is released into the victim's blood- stream, where they rapidly spread throughout the body, replicating themselves and slowly destroying the victim's body in the process. EDIT: I was slightly rushed for time this afternoon, and missed adding certain skills to Shamballah's description. It should be noted that, because of her previous life as a huntress, her tracking skills are very highly developed, and she is skilled enough to track her prey across any terrain. A ground-bound person will find it next to im- possible to shake Shamballah from his or her trail once she goes on the hunt. She is also a master of entrapment, able to construct snares capable of trapping even the strongest prey. Add the technology of Lord Dark Matter to her skills, and you have a truly frightening adversary -- one who doesn't quit until she gets her prey. Major Tom 2009 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Arc Posted November 22, 2010 Report Share Posted November 22, 2010 Re: Cosmic Centurions Shamballah the Huntress (Seeker of Vengeance, Mistress of the Creeping Death, Emissary of Lord Dark Matter) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Major Tom 2009 Posted November 24, 2010 Report Share Posted November 24, 2010 Re: Cosmic Centurions Well, @$#%... I had just gotten through typing up the backstory on the latest minion of Lord Dark Matter to be made by The Arc, and was just about to post it when the bloody machine suddenly decided to boot me off. End result: everything I'd been working on was gone when I got back on. I'll try to get the backstory posted tomorrow, as it's getting a little late to start over now. Major Tom 2009 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Major Tom 2009 Posted November 24, 2010 Report Share Posted November 24, 2010 Re: Cosmic Centurions And now, here's the latest minion of Lord Dark Matter, courtesy of our fiend -- er, excuse me, I meant friend -- The Arc (). Enemies of the Cosmic Centurions (Warning: long post) Tribune Arakhnos (Commander of the 2nd Cohort, 1st Shadow Legion, Weaver of the Shadow Web) It is a generally-accepted fact that the Tribunes who command the Cohorts of Lord Dark Matter's Legions are among the most ruthless beings in the known Universe, ruling their subordinates with an iron hand and enforcing discipline through a mix of fear and merciless brutality. There is one among their number, though, whom even they fear enough not to anger, and pray that they never become the focus of his attention. That being is Tribune Arakhnos, commander of the 1st Shadow Legion's 2nd Cohort. An arachnotaur (spider centaur) from a world as-yet undiscovered by explorers from the free worlds, Arakhnos was recruited by Lord Dark Matter himself to serve as one of his Tribunes, and is the only member of his species known to serve in any capacity in the forces of Lord Dark Matter (a fact which his fellow Tribunes secretly give their most heartfelt thanks for -- and quite often). As the commanding officer of the 2nd Cohort, it is Arakhnos' resonsibility to supervise the counterintelligence operations of the unit, whether it involves the dissemination of manufactured intelligence data designed to mislead enemy intelligence agencies, or the organization of operations whose purpose is to expose and capture intelligence agents from the free worlds in order to interrogate (and ultimately eliminate) them. He is aided in this endeavor by a Centurion of the Legion, a demonic-looking woman known as Z'a'Dahn the Inquisitor, a.k.a. the Breaker of Souls. It is Z'a'Dahn who con- ducts the pre-interrogation torture sessions for Arakhnos -- sessions that, depend- ing on her mood, can take several hours, and which are extremely painful for the captive. This is because she makes use of a device called a neural agonizer (similar to a neural disruptor, but designed to stimulate a victim's pain centers, causing ex- treme agony, but without leaving any marks), which appears, at first glance, to be a simple rod. Once the captive has been worn down by the torture sessions, Arakhnos begins the interrogation by injecting him or her with a special type of venom from his poison glands. Known as "truth venom", this compound has an interesting effect on its vic- tims: if they attempt to lie, a biochemical reaction occurs within their bodies, caus- ing them to suffer excruiciating agony. The more they try to lie, the greater the agony becomes. Once the process begins, the only way to stop it is to tell the truth. Small wonder then, that captured agents subjected to Arakhnos' interrogation tech- niques break under the pressure, giving up all of their secrets. As far as the fate of those captured and interrogated by Arakhnos is concerned, one thing is known for certain: the bodies of some of the captured agents were event- ually found, with wounds consistent with death by firing squad. Yet others -- mostly female operatives -- were seen later in the company of several of Lord Dark Matter's high-ranking officers, and appeared to be enslaved in some manner. There are, how- ever, several agents whose bodies have never been recovered, or who have ever been seen again, and there is horrifying speculation that Arakhnos himself has dis- posed of them -- possibly by devouring them. Appearance: Arakhnos is a hybrid of humanoid and spider -- the upper body being that of a huge, heavily-muscled humanoid, while the lower body is that of a gigantic, eight-legged spider. His skin is gray, and his head resembles that of an orc from fant- asy literature -- hairless, pointed ears, and having a prognathic jaw from which two tusk-like teeth project. The only difference is that, instead of having just two eyes, he has four faintly-glowing red eyes. As an officer in Lord Dark Matter's forces, he wears a modified officer's uniform, which takes his extra limbs into account. The uniform also provides a somewhat higher level of armor protection than the stand- ard version. Powers: Arakhnos possesses those abilities common to those of his race -- the abil- ity to scale and cling to virtually any surface, regardless of orientation; the ability to spin webs with which to capture prey -- and which, thanks to advanced biochem- ical treatments given to him by Lord Dark Matter's scientists, are now even stronger than alloys known to the science of any world; and the ability to inject one of two different types of venom into a victim. The first of these -- his "truth venom" -- has been described previously. The second type is essentially identical to that of an Earth spider, and has the same effect upon a victim: instant paralysis followed by gradual liquefication of bodily tissues. Victims of this venom are still alive and conscious, but unable to move or speak -- and therein lies the horror: that Arakhnos' victims are very much alive and aware, even as he slowly comsumes them. By the time he's finished feeding, only the outermost layers of the victim's skin are left. Arakhnos possesses one other power, and it is that power which was responsible for his being given the title of "Weaver of the Shadow Web": the ability to create and mentally control an energy-construct resembling a huge, jet-black spiderweb. When facing an opponent that he wishes to capture alive, and with a minimum of fuss, he starts by focussing his victim's attention on himself while creating the energy-web behind his victim. Once the web is created and ready, Arakhnos causes strands to extend from it and wrap themselves around the victim's neck, torso, and limbs. Once that happens, he then causes the strands to retract back into the web, thus pinning the victim in place against it, where even more strands wrap themselves around him or her. Only when the victim is securely bound by the web does its pri- mary power come into play: to drain its victim's strength and endurance. Under normal circumstances, it can take as long as ten minutes for the draining process to complete itself; if the victim is actively struggling to free him- or herself, however, the draining process is considerably faster. In any event, once the process is com- plete, the victim is left unconscious and easily handled. Personality: The one word that best describes Arakhnos' personality is 'Machiavellian'. His talent for manipulation and misdirection is one that any Earth-based intelligence agency would kill to have in its service -- assuming they could trust him, that is. Under normal circumstances, Arakhnos comes across as being a refined and cultured gentlebeing, able to hold discussions on such things as the arts and musical trends. When pursuing an enemy agent, however, a different facet of his personality comes to the fore: that of a relentless hunter with the patience to do the job right. Skills: Arakhnos has the skills and training that are common to the forces of Lord Dark Matter, and is an expert with every weapon in use by the Nth Legion and the 1st Shadow Legion. However, he has a marked preference for heavy weapons, and has had an anti-armor rocket launcher specially made for him, which he is able to use like a sniper rifle. He is also a skilled counterintelligence agent. Major Tom 2009 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Major Tom 2009 Posted November 25, 2010 Report Share Posted November 25, 2010 Re: Cosmic Centurions Enemies of the Cosmic Centurions Man, The Arc just keeps springing more and more baddies upon us, doesn't he? Anyway, here's the latest of Lord Dark Matter's minions, who has a way of doing things that's all his own... Grand Censor Mal'ar (Bearer of the Black Book, Chronicler of Lord Dark Matter, the Light of Oblivion) No one knows who the man known as Grand Censor Mal'ar is or where he comes from, and neither is it known if his position is religious in nature, or if it is somewhat more secular. What is known, however, is that he is one of the most feared beings in service to Lord Dark Matter at the present time. This is due, in no small part, to an item in his possession which is known only as the Black Book. This object appears, at first glance, to be a large, black leather-covered book with red-bordered pages, and which has a huge, pulsating red crystal on the front cover of the book. It is only when Lord Dark Matter sends Mal'ar to personally deal with some troublesome individ- ual that the true nature of the Black Book is revealed. On occasion, there have been those who, in some way or another, have hampered the plans of Lord Dark Matter. Normally, he would have such individuals killed in re- taliation, but the possibility of creating martyrs is enough of a possibility that other means of dealing with them become necessary. When this happens, he sends Grand Censor Mal'ar to deal with it, preferably in a highly-public fashion. Mal'ar will wait un- til his target is in a public place with plenty of witnesses; only then will he confront the target. Addressing his target, he tells him or her that "the time has come for you to be inscribed in the Black Book of Lord Dark Matter," passing his right hand over the crystal as he is speaking. Once his brief statement is complete, he then opens the Black Book so that the open pages are facing the target. An instant later, a red- dish-looking cloud comes out of the Book, and heads straight at the target, enveloping him or her; once the target is enveloped, the cloud quickly returns to the Book, drag- ging the target along with it and going inside the Book. Mal'ar then turns in a slow circle with the still-open Book, showing the witnesses that the target is trapped inside it, but still alive. He then closes the Black Book, saying "Thus is the fate of all who would dare defy the will of Lord Dark Matter!" before walking away from the now-terrified crowd of witnesses. Appearance: Grand Censor Mal'ar is an albino, having white hair and skin, as well as pink eyes. While he is not a strong man by any standard, there is nonetheless an im- posing presence about him which causes those nearest him to feel both awe and un- ease. As a member of Lord Dark Matter's forces, Mal'ar wears the standard uniform of the Legions, but trimmed in white; he also wears a hooded white cloak. Paraphenalia: Mal'ar only carries one item with him whenever and wherever he appears: an item known only as the Black Book, which has been previously described. It is not known how the Book does what it is apparently able to do under Mal'ar's direction, but one theory suggests that the Black Book is, in part, a portal to another dimen- sion, one to which Mal'ar transports his targets against their will, and from which there is no known means of escape at the present time. If the Black Book has any other powers, they have not yet been seen. Personality: Unknown at present; Mal'ar tends to keep to himself and out of sight, only appearing when Lord Dark Matter requires his advice, or when an "example" needs to be made of one of his enemies. Skills: None known at the present time; it is possible that he has had some small-arms training. Major Tom 2009 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Major Tom 2009 Posted November 25, 2010 Report Share Posted November 25, 2010 Re: Cosmic Centurions Enemies of the Cosmic Centurions Yep, I'm back, with yet another product of The Arc's evil genius. And so, let's get our feet wet and take a look at: Tribune Daggo (Commander of the Black Abyss Cohort, Nth Legion of Infinity, Stalker of the Trackless Depths) Most of Lord Dark Matter's attacks have, for the most part, taken place upon worlds with sizeable land masses bordered by oceans or seas. But there are a few worlds in the part of the galaxy which Lord Dark Matter has invaded that are completely cov- ered in water, with few or no land masses of any size. At times, forces opposed to Lord Dark Matter have established bases on these waterworlds, using them to both hide from his patrols and to carry out guerilla-style raids on Legion bases on nearby worlds. Most military leaders, when confronted with such a situation, would simply order the total bombardment of the planet from high orbit in an attempt to destroy the guerillas; Lord Dark Matter, on the other hand, has no real desire to destroy territory which he intends to one day claim as his own. Therefore, whenever there is a group of undersea guerillas that needs to be found and eliminated, Lord Dark Matter assigns the task to a true expert in the field: the commander of the Black Abyss Cohort, Tribune Daggo, a.k.a. the Stalker of the Trackless Depths. A native of a waterworld himself, Daggo is a 'fishman', a hybrid of fish and humanoid with tremendous physical strength and the ability to survive underwater, as well as the ability to function even at the greatest depths. How- ever, he is unable to survive out of the water for any length of time; in order to function normally out of the water, Daggo wears an "enviro-suit", which creates a watery environment within the suit, and which has mechanisms which both clean and re-oxygenate the water within the suit. The unit which Daggo commands -- the Black Abyss Cohort -- is Lord Dark Matter's equivalent to such Earth-based units as the British Special Boat Service and the U.S. Navy SEALs, and deals with its enemies just as ruthlessly as either one is wont to do. Their training is roughly analogous to that of the two Earth-based services, with the exception being that the Cohort has access to a higher level of technology. A prime example of the technology at their disposal is the impeller suit that they wear during an operation. Essentially a miniature submarine in the form of an armored suit, the impeller suit is equipped with a sophisticated life-support system, a HUD in the visor which displays the time, compass direction, and a GPS-style location system. The suit makes use of a backpack-sized magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) drive system on its back, enabling the Legionnaires of the Black Abyss Cohort to move silently through the water. Where weaponry is concerned, a Gauss rifle which has been modi- fied to work underwater is given to each of the Cohort's Legionnaires, along with a waterproof commando knife. Daggo has no need for an impeller suit; his natural abilities are more than sufficient to enable him to not only keep pace with his men, but also to outswim them. Where personal weaponry is concerned, Daggo carries but one weapon: a trident whose head is blood-red in color, and which has been modified to silently fire a dart into a victim, which has been coated with a fast-acting lethal toxin. This part of the trident works just as well underwater as it does on land. Because of the need to be able to communicate underwater without radio communi- cations (which could be detected), Daggo has trained every member of the Cohort in a form of sign language, which they use to 'speak' to each other when under- water. Unfortunately, the occasional need to divide his forces for an attack means that Daggo needs a way of communicating his orders to scattered groups of his Legionnaires. He is aided in this task by one of his Centurions, a half-humanoid/half- shark woman known as Syryn of the Screaming Death, who is able to rapidly swim to each of the groups of Legionnaires and convey any changes in their orders to them. Appearance: Daggo is a hybrid of fish and humanoid, with scaly skin, large eyes, and a secretion created by certain glands in his body which makes it difficult to keep a firm grip on him. He spends most of his time in his "enviro-suit", however, so most people don't really know what he looks like outside of it (the only person who does is Syryn, and she's not talking). He's very tall (about 7 feet tall) and extremely muscular in build. Paraphenalia: Daggo makes use of an "enviro-suit" when he has to work above the water. This suit creates a watery environment within itself which is kept clean and re-oxygenated by mechanisms within the suit. It also provides a high level of armor protection for its wearer. Personality: Daggo presents the image of a consummate professional to the world at large, one who is totally committed to carrying out Lord Dark Matter's will anytime and anywhere that it is required. Skills: Daggo is a fully-trained member of Lord Dark Matter's military, and is also an expert in underwater operations and warfare. Weapons: Daggo's trident has been previously described in the above text. Note: Although described as one of the Cohort's Centurions, Syryn is actually a Darkhunter. As she doesn't wear the "alien death's-head" helmet, it can only be assumed that she is wearing some form of waterproof disguise. Major Tom 2009 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Major Tom 2009 Posted November 26, 2010 Report Share Posted November 26, 2010 Re: Cosmic Centurions Enemies of the Cosmic Centurions This time, we're going to take a look at Lord Dark Matter's home life; to be specific, at someone very close to him. Discordia (Adopted Daughter of Lord Dark Matter, The Breaker of Bonds) It is unknown at this time who the young woman currently known as Discordia is, or who her original parents were prior to her adoption by Lord Dark Matter; what is known at this time is that wherever Lord Dark Matter has appeared, Discordia is al- ways close at hand, sometimes serving as an advisor, and other times being his per- sonal bodyguard. What is also known is that she has the power to project reddish- colored energy beams from her hands at a target, beams which are capable of disintegrating matter, whether organic or inorganic in nature. She has also been seen to be ferociously protective of Lord Dark Matter, and has, on occasion, faced numerous enemies bent on attempting to assassinate him. That none of them succeeded, or were ever seen again, is a testament to her skill as a body- guard. Appearance: Discordia has black hair, which she wears combed back, and which hangs down to just below her shoulders. She also has black eyes, and a red 'caste-mark' type of marking just below the "widow's-peak" of her hairline. Normally, when not serving as Lord Dark Matter's bodyguard, she wears civilian clothing; when acting as his bodyguard, however, she wears the standard uniform of a Nth Legionnaire, over which is worn a sleeveless dress-like tunic, the skirt of which is slit up the left leg. She also wears a chain-link style belt around her waist and a pair of gold hoop- style earrings. Personality: When she's being a civilian, Discordia is very much the loving daughter; when acting as Lord Dark Matter's bodyguard, however, a different aspect of her personality makes itself visible: that of a consummate professional, one who is ever watchful for any threat which may present itself, and who is prepared to deal swift- ly and ruthlessly with it. Powers: Discordia has the power to project beams of energy from her hands, energy that is somehow able to neutralize the forces which hold matter together, causing it to disintegrate. Normal matter of any kind, whether organic or inorganic, is affect- ed by her power; it is not yet known if materials with extraordinary properties -- indestructible super-alloys created by advanced science, or objects created by extradimensional beings (gods, demons, etc.) -- are affected in any way by her pow- er. Skills: As the adopted daughter of Lord Dark Matter, Discordia has not only recieved an education comparable to that of a Earth woman of similar social status, she has also been given a version of the military training given to the soldiers of Lord Dark Matter's Legions, to better enable her to serve as his bodyguard. Weapons: Discordia doesn't use weapons of any type; in fact, she hates them with a passion, especially guns. The reason for this hatred is unknown; it is entirely possible that her original parents were killed by gun-wielding assailants. Major Tom 2009 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Major Tom 2009 Posted November 30, 2010 Report Share Posted November 30, 2010 Re: Cosmic Centurions If I haven't posted anything to this thread lately, it's not because I've lost interest in the thread; I've just been busy with other things (bedrooms do not, after all, clean themselves). Rest assured, however, that I will be back with descriptions of the rest of LDM's flunkies later today (and maybe, just maybe, a few allies of the Cosmic Cen- turions as well). Major Tom 2009 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Egyptoid Posted November 30, 2010 Author Report Share Posted November 30, 2010 Re: Cosmic Centurions If I haven't posted anything to this thread lately, it's not because I've lost interest in the thread; .... of the Cosmic Cen- turions as well). What he said. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Major Tom 2009 Posted December 1, 2010 Report Share Posted December 1, 2010 Re: Cosmic Centurions I was somewhat busy this weekend, so I didn't get to work on the backstories of the LDM-related characters that The Arc has tossed at us over the last few days. But I'm back now, and more than ready to pick up where I left off. And so, I present to you the latest of Lord Dark Matter's many minions, a fellow whose pets redefine that age-old phrase, "Bad Kitty!" Enemies of the Cosmic Centurions Haidan the Stalker (Personal Huntsman of Lord Dark Matter) It is known that Lord Dark Matter has many minions -- men, women, and beings that are neither -- that are more than able and willing to carry out the desires of their lord and master, and in any way that he wishes of them. For the most part, these minions carry out the commands and plans of Lord Dark Matter with great care and finesse -- understandable, when one considers that Lord Dark Matter has what a- mounts to a "zero tolerance" policy when it comes to failure. There is one, however, who takes an entirely different approach to carrying out his master's wishes. That someone is Haidan the Stalker, personal huntsman of Lord Dark Matter and tracker without peer. A beast-man from a savage world in the region of the galaxy from which Lord Dark Matter originally came, Haidan has been in the service of his master since even before they came to this part of the galaxy, and is one of the few beings whom Lord Dark Matter trusts implicitly. Haidan's services are called upon fairly often, especially when there is someone whom Lord Dark Matter wants stalked, terrorized, and eventually captured. He is aided in this task by his two Saberclaws (feline predators that are roughly analgous to Earth tigers, but huge -- almost the size of horses), which he has raised and trained from birth to assist him in the hunt. They accomplish this by flanking their prey, taking up positions on either side of their target and making their presence known (but remaining unseen). Once Haidan is prepared to take the target, he signals the Saberclaws by means of a ultrasonic whistle, which emits a sound too high for most beings to hear. Once the Saberclaws have heard the signal, they begin to move in on the target, driving him or her back toward Haidan; as soon as the target is close enough, he lashes out with his whip, wrapping it around the target's neck while simultaneously trigger- ing the built-in neural disruptor. Once the target is helpless, Haidan takes the time to securely bind him or her before taking his "prize" to Lord Dark Matter. In the case of targets known to posess metahumanoid or psionic powers, Haidan uses inhibitor tech- nology (devices that suppress or completely neutralize the use of super-powers) to keep his captive(s) under control. Thus far, no one who has been so targeted by Lord Dark Matter has been success- ful in eluding Haidan the Stalker, no matter what measures they have taken to throw him off their trail. Appearance: Haidan is tall and powerfully built -- 7' tall and 400 pounds of pure muscle -- yet is capable of moving with great speed and unearthly stealth. As a member of a race that evolved from a feline predator, Haidan posesses the features of such a life- form: short, golden fur covering his entire body with longer, light brown hair on his head, and with what on a human being would be muttonchop sideburns and a mou- stache (he has no darker hair on top of his head, though), black eyes with red pu- pils, and retractable claws in his hands and feet. He also has fangs and pointed ears. As a minion of Lord Dark Matter, Haidan wears a stylized version of the uniform worn by the Legions: a sleeveless black top with red trim, leather straps with red studs on his arms, and a red-trimmed, downward-pointing black loincloth held up by a black, red- studded leather belt. He also wears a pair of specially-made black boots, which have red buckles and studs. The boots are designed in such a way as to enable him to move across any terrain without leaving any trace whatsoever. Personality: As a native of a primitive and savage world, Haidan is most uncomfortable whenever he has to deal with the trappings of civilization for any length of time; give him a hunt, though -- or even a worthy adversary against whom he can test himself -- and he's very happy. He's also something of a (pardon the pun) party animal, and can often be found with an entourage of no fewer than a half-dozen young women (apparent- ly, there's something about Haidan that women find irresistably attractive). Skills: Haidan's skills are the result of an entire lifetime spent being a hunter and a warrior, and have not been lessened in any way by the time he has spent in civil- ization. Unlike most of Lord Dark Matter's minions, Haidan has not recieved any sort of military training; Lord Dark Matter felt that he already had what he need- ed to do his job. His skill with unarmed combat is likewise a result of his upbringing; it has no recognizable techniques, making it (and him) highly unpredictable in com- bat. He is also a skilled animal trainer and handler, able to control the most danger- ous of wild beasts. Haidan is also an expert in the creation of traps, and has often captured his prey by such means. Indeed, of all of Lord Dark Matter's minions, only Shamballah the Huntress comes close to being Kor's equal in the arts of hunting. Weapons: Haidan is a consummate master of weapons that most of Lord Dark Matter's forces consider primitive: blowpipes, bolas, clubs -- if it's muscle-powered, he's probably used it at some point in time. His favorite weapon by far, however, is his whip: fifteen feet of very strong and durable synthetic materials, which conceals an even nastier surprise -- a neural disruptor with sufficient power to render even a Cosmic Centurion helpless. Allies: Haidan is accompanied by a pair of huge, tiger-like feline predators called Saberclaws, which he has trained in much the same way that Earth hunters of the past trained their hunting dogs. They have been trained to obey any of a number of signals, whether spoken aloud or blown on a special whistle. Saberclaws have red furwith pale green stripes, and their claws are capable of shredding steel. Major Tom 2009 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Major Tom 2009 Posted December 3, 2010 Report Share Posted December 3, 2010 Re: Cosmic Centurions Here's one of the scarier minions of Lord Dark Matter, one who makes most of his other minions look like kind-hearted social workers... Enemies of the Cosmic Centurions Grom Jabar (High Executioner of Lord Dark Matter, the Dark Blade of Judgement) Whenever Lord Dark Matter has a captured enemy whom he wishes slain in a particularly ignominious -- and very public -- fashion, or an underling whose failure has caused a major setback to one of his plans, thereby requiring that an example be made of said underling, he assigns the task to his High Execut- ioner -- Grom Jabar, a.k.a. the Dark Blade of Judgement. Jabar is infamous for his use of what have become known as "execution machines" to dispose of Lord Dark Matter's enemies. Designed by Jabar himself, and built by the cyborg technologist Techamachus, these devices are designed to do one thing, and to do it well: kill its victim in the most dishonorable fashion known to his, her, or its race (occasionally, a member of a genderless species will have the mis- fortune to experience Lord Dark Matter's "hospitality"). Jabar has extensively studied the beliefs of the various races inhabiting this region of the galaxy, in order to have his executions cause the most massive and devastating psycho- logical impact upon those watching them. A confirmed sadist, Grom Jabar takes great delight in showing his soon-to-be victims how they're going to die, usually by means of a live demonstration -- involving the use of a live prisoner in the execution machine. Not surprisingly, his favorite victims are Cosmic Centurions and their allies; as a result, rescue missions aimed at freeing their comrades-in-arms from Jabar's clutches have wound up becoming some of the most vicious battles fought between the forces of Lord Dark Matter and the Cosmic Centurions -- and those battles where both Grom Jabar and the Cyan Centurion have been present have been some of the bitterest ever fought. Jabar doesn't limit himself to performing executions; on occasion, he'll accompany one of Lord Dark Matter's counterinsurgency units during a search for resistance fighters. When such a group is found, Jabar is one of the first to engage them in combat. Unlike the Legionnaires, who are simply out to kill the resistance fighters, Grom Jabar is out to capture as many of them as he can. Knowing full well what to expect from Grom Jabar if they're taken alive, many resistance fighters will often turn their weapons upon each other rather than become one of his "demon- strations". Appearance: Grom Jabar is, without a doubt, one of the stranger-looking minions in service to Lord Dark Matter. Looking like a gigantic head to which some semb- lance of a body has been attached, Jabar has blue eyes which are set in the middle of his face, which appears frozen in a perpetual scowl. He stands about 8' tall, and is powerfully built. As a member of Lord Dark Matter's forces, he wears the uniform of a Legionnaire, black armor with red trim. Personality: Grom Jabar is a sadist of the worst sort, taking a depraved pleasure from the suffering of others, whether he's the one responsible for it or not. His sadistic and cruel nature is such that not even his fellow minions can stand to be anywhere near him; only Lord Dark Matter, who appreciates Jabar's creativity when it comes to disposing of his enemies, spends any time in his company. Skills: Jabar has the skills and training of a member of Lord Dark Matter's military, and is a formidable combatant, both with armed and unarmed combat. He is also a master axeman. Weapons: While Jabar is trained in the use of all weapons in the arsenal of the Nth Legion, his signature weapon is a long-handled, double-edged black battleaxe. This weapon, forged from a unique alloy known as Entropium, has a property which all sentient beings who are aware of it fear: any object, whether organic or inorganic, which is struck by the axe, begins to suffer a breakdown of its molecular structure. Where inorganic materials are concerned, the result is a visible and steady decay which ultimately ends with the destruction of the material or object in question. Organic materials, on the other hand, appear to be attacked by a rapidly-spread- ing form of gangrene poisoning, with death being the end result unless some way of stopping the decay can be found before that point is reached. Major Tom 2009 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Major Tom 2009 Posted December 4, 2010 Report Share Posted December 4, 2010 Re: Cosmic Centurions Here's the next minion of Lord Dark Matter, a fellow who takes a "nuts and bolts" approach to both his work and life... Enemies of the Cosmic Centurions Techamachus (Chief Technologist of Lord Dark Matter, Entropy's Blacksmith) The cyborg technologist now known as Techamachus was once wholly flesh and blood, with no artificial parts of any kind in his body. He was also one of the most brilliant scientists in the service of Lord Dark Matter, and was responsible for the creation of many of the weapons used by the Legions. This state of affairs would most likely have continued had it not been for a project which was being develop- ed by the scientist: an attempt to create what he called an "entropic bomb" -- a weapon with the capability of wiping out both people and buildings, without leav- ing behind any radioactivity that would render the area uninhabitable for decades or centuries to come. Deciding that such a weapon as well as its creator were too dangerous to be al- lowed to exist, the intelligence agencies of the free worlds set a plan in motion to destroy both the weapon and its creator. The plan involved sending a military task force to attack the planet and bombard the location of the weapons lab from high orbit -- at least, that's what they wanted Lord Dark Matter's intelligence arm to think. The actual plan was for a squadron of stealth-capable starfighters to slip in under the sensors of the planetary defense grid while Lord Dark Matter's fleet was occupied with the task force. Once the squadron was past the sensors, they were to proceed to the weapons lab and destroy it with precision-guided bombs and missiles. The plan worked, but only to a certain extent. While the task force managed to distract the planetary defense fleet from the real attack, and the starfighter squadron did succeed in its mission to destroy the weapons lab, they did not succeed in killing the scientist. He was, however, seriously injured -- both legs missing, his arms mangled beyond repair, and suffering from severe head trauma -- and was not expected to survive for much longer. Lord Dark Matter, however, did not wish to lose such a valuable resource, and brought in his finest surgical team as well as his most skilled cyberneticists to save the dying scientist. Over a period of several hours, the scientist was, for lack of a better term, re- built. His legs were replaced with an anti-gravity flight module, and his upper body was replaced with a robotic torso and arms, with specialized support mech- anisms for those organic parts that his brain needed to continue to function. His damaged skull was gradually repaired by medical nanomachines, which also used special materials to reinforce it with a metal casing, essentially armor-plating it, thereby protecting the brain. The cybersurgeons also implanted advanced computer processors in the scientist's brain, greatly enhancing his intelligence and enabling him to think and process information at computer speeds. Once the surgery was complete, the scientist's condition stabilized, and spent several days afterward in recovery. After he was trained in how to use his cybernetic parts and allowed to return to his job, the scientist attempted to resume his work on the entropic bomb, only to discover to his horror that he no longer posessed the knowledge of how to construct it. And because all of his written research had been in the lab when it was bombed and destroyed, there was no chance of recreating his project. Al- though he believed that Lord Dark Matter would be angry at the loss of his ul- timate weapon, he was surprised to learn that the loss of the entropic bomb was something that Lord Dark Matter had expected, considering the extent of the head injuries that he sustained in the attack. He was also surprised to discover that Lord Dark Matter considered him to be even more valuable than ever before, now that he had been cybernetically augmented. Relieved that he wasn't going to be executed for the loss of the weapons project, the scientist turned his new abilities toward the task of devising new and more powerful weapons for Lord Dark Matter. To commemorate his "rebirth", the scien- tist took the name of Techamachus for himself. Appearance: Techamachus' body from the waist down is a sophisticated anti-gravity flight pod, and is capable of moving at great speed. His upper body is fully robotic, and is equipped with manipulator arms which are capable of the full range of human- oid motion. It has also been designed to resemble the standard uniform of the Legion: black armor with red trim. His face looks much like it did prior to the attack: bald with black eyes. Personality: Outwardly, Techamachus projects a calm and mildly dispassionate front to the outside world. On the inside, it's an entirely different story. Techa- machus would love nothing better than to have the pilots who nearly killed him captured and brought before him, so that he can use them for what he euphem- istically refers to as "occupational therapy". Only when he's involved with some project or another does he show anything resembling pleasure. Powers: All of Techamachus' abilities are derived from his cyborg body. His flight capability comes from the anti-gravity pod that has taken the place of his legs. Controlling the pod by direct mental command, Techamachus is able to perform maneuvers with it at speeds that no normal pilot could hope to match. His robot- ic upper body gives him considerable physical strength, yet he is capable of deli- cate and precise movements when using his "hands", able to exert force as light as a mild pinch or as strong as a hydraulic press. His mental capabilities are every bit as impressive. Not only can he process information at speeds comparable to those of a mainframe super-computer, he is also capable of multi-tasking, and can work on several different projects at the same time. Although he doesn't usually engage in combat, he recognizes that, on occasion, it is necessary for one to defend oneself. To this end, he has created a pair of items that he uses in combat. The first of these is a dual, shoulder-mounted missile launcher, which consists of two four-shot pods that can be fired one shot at a time, or all eight at once. The second is a pair of shield generator pods, each of which has its own power source, which connect to the upper body of the anti-gravity pod. Skills: Techamachus is a trained scientist, and is a master of many disciplines. Since the attack, he has also been given a certain amount of military training in order to allow him to make the most out of his cyborg body. Major Tom 2009 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Major Tom 2009 Posted December 9, 2010 Report Share Posted December 9, 2010 Re: Cosmic Centurions Here's a bit of a change from the bad guys that have been covered thus far. Saying that this guy has an explosive personality doesn't even begin to scratch the surface... Allies of the Cosmic Centurions Dyrakk, the Positronic Man (Pamun Dyrakk, Technologist First Rank of the Elysian Science Council) Pamun Dyrakk, a brilliant physicist and one of the leading members of the Science Council of the planet Elysia -- one of the free worlds that have banded together to oppose Lord Dark Matter's invasion -- was working in his lab one day on an experiment involving antimatter (matter whose polarity is opposite that of normal matter, and which reacts violently when it comes into contact with normal matter), when a squad of Nth Legion commandoes broke into the lab complex on a mission to steal any weapons-oriented technology that they could get their hands on, as well as to kidnap any scientists who could be made to serve Lord Dark Matter's plans of conquest. Acting quickly, Dyrakk hid himself in the containment chamber of the mechanism that he used to create antimatter for his experiments. No sooner than he had hidden out of sight, the commando squad burst into his lab, looking for weapons technology. Finding nothing that even remotely resembled a weapon, one of the commandoes became frustrated and began shooting everything in sight, with several of the blasts striking the antimatter generation machine. The machine suddenly activated itself and began to create antimatter, with Dyrakk still within the containment chamber. Dyrakk tried to escape from the chamber, but to no avail; the weapons fire from the Nth Legion commando had damaged the door mechanisms, jamming the door and making it impossible to open. Before he could do anything else to try to get out, the antimatter created by the mechanism came into contact with his body. Whether because of the insulative force fields inside of the chamber interacting with some unsuspected quirk of his physiology or some other cause, Dyrakk was not annihilated when he was struck by the antimatter; instead, he was somehow transformed into a being of living antimatter. Using the power of his newly-transformed body, Dyrakk managed to get out of the chamber before sending blast after blast of anti-energy at the Legionnaires, reducing them to smoldering piles of ash. By the time that Elysian security forces arrived at the complex in response to the attack, the commando squad had been utterly destroyed. In the aftermath of the attack, the Science Council was faced with a quandary: on one hand, none of their advanced technology had fallen into Lord Dark Matter's hands; on the other hand, one of their most brilliant and respect- ed scientists had been transformed into one of the most dangerous beings alive. While the Council attempted to decide on what course of action to take, Dyrakk -- together with some of his friends and fellow scientists -- set out to find a means by which he could function in the world without posing a danger to everyone. The solution that was eventually arrived at was a novel one, to say the least. By com- bining several different technologies -- an armored exoskeletal suit, a miniature hyperdrive and normal-space flight system, an energy-weapons system capable of using the power generated by his body, a forcefield projection grid, and a mini- aturized computer with the processing power of a super-computer mainframe -- Dyrakk and his scientist friends were able to devise a containment suit which would allow him to have contact with the everyday world without running the risk of a massive antimatter explosion. On the day that he demonstrated his containment suit to the Science Council, Dyrakk informed them that, due to his current condition -- and until such time as a means to restore him to his original, normal-matter state could be found -- he would be taking an indefinite sabbatical from his duties on the Council. He did, however, reassure them that the planet would not be without his services: he was merely switching over to the Elysian Planetary Guard, where he would be in a better position to defend the planet against future expansionism on the part of Lord Dark Matter or his forces. In the days since the incident which gave him his powers, Dyrakk (or the Positronic Man, as he is sometimes referred to as) has proven to be one of Elysia's greatest protectors, and has since become a faithful ally and friend to the Cosmic Centurions, who value his intellect, scientific skills, and powers both in and out of combat. Appearance: Outside of his containment suit, Pamun Dyrakk appears as a humanoid composed of bright, bluish-white "anti-energy", and looks much like he did when he was a material being. When in his containment suit, he resembles a high-tech knight in armor, and stands 7' tall when he occipies the suit. The suit is a two-tone purple in color, with the helmet, breastplate, gauntlets and boots being dark purple with red highlights, while the torso, arms, and legs are a lighter shade of purple. The armored skirt around his waist is also dark purple with red highlights, and the belt is red with gold highlights. The hyperdrive/flight system attached to the back of the suit is likewise dark purple with red highlights. The visor of the helmet is a re- flective gold in color. Paraphenalia: The containment suit which Dyrakk occupies is an amalgamation of several different technologies, all of which have been combined to confer several advantages upon the wearer. Not only is it a containment suit which insulates him from the positive-matter world, it is also a combination battlesuit and com- pact FTL-capable starship. Perhaps the most important item of technology in the suit is the forcefield projection grid which lines its inner surface, and which when activated, keeps Dyrakk from coming into direct contact with it. The armored exoskeleton not only provides protection against attacks that could potentially penetrate the suit, it also provides the occupant with a considerable degree of superhumanoid strength (it is capable of lifting weights of just over 50 tons). The suit not only enables the occupant to fly at supersonic speed when in atmo- sphere, it also enables him to travel across interstellar distances by means of hyperspace travel, courtesy of the miniaturized hyperdrive which has been in- corporated into the flight system. The suit's offensive capability lies in the energy projectors that have been built into the gauntlets, and which are powered by Dyrakk's own anti-energy (as are the various other systems in the suit). All of the suit's various systems are regulated by a miniaturized computer system, one which, even while regulating the normal functions of the suit, has sufficient processing power to perform several different tasks at once. Personality: In spite of what has happened to him, Dyrakk has managed to remain very optimistic about life in general. With regards to his situation, he believes that, as it was a scientific accident which transformed him into his current state, that it will be science which will ultimately provide the means by which he which he will one day be restored to his original flesh-and-blood form. Until that day comes to pass, however, he patrols the space nearest Elysia; at other times, he lends his considerable scientific acumen to various groups of scientists throughout the free worlds. Powers: Dyrakk's anti-energy form provides him with a number of powers; most notably, the power to fire bolts of pure anti-energy at his foes. His powers are self-regenerating, meaning that he doesn't have to worry about running out of energy in the middle of a fight. He can also increase the power level of his bolts, but he runs the risk of destroying the suit if he does so; for this reason, several copies of the containment suit have been produced and are kept in storage in the event that he needs a replacement for a destroyed suit. Skills: Pamun Dyrakk is, first and foremost, a brilliant physicist; however, as a ranking member of the Elysian Science Council, he is also a master of several scientific fields ranging from organic chemistry to quantum physics. Since his transformation and his subsequent internment in his containment suit, he has also had to become proficient in combat as well. Major Tom 2009 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Arc Posted December 14, 2010 Report Share Posted December 14, 2010 Re: Cosmic Centurions Warning, Lost Post Lord Dark Matter desires anything that he doesn't possess. This includes the power of the cosmic centurions. However, try as the Dark Tyrant has tried over and over again, he's found that he cannot corrupt the Guardians of the Cosmos. He has thrown countless lives at the Cosmic Centurions seeking their deaths, and while he has ended a few of their careers, the victory that he seeks over them eludes him. It was time for a change in tactics. Under the advice of Discordia and Techamachus a new plan emerged. The Shadow Legion were unleashed upon the universe. Their mission to track the comes and goings of as many of the Cosmic Centurions as possible and report back to Lord Dark Matter. In most cases the Shadow Legion either failed, were foiled, or defeated. This was to be expected, as all things are expendable to Lord Dark Matter. In a remote part of the cosmos it was discovered that the Crimson Centurion recently became wounded after an encounter with the Nega-Centurion. This was the news Lord Dark Matter was waiting for. Admiral Garm and a contingent of the Nth Legion were immediately dispatched to capture the Crimson Centurion at all costs. General Skorne, Kor the Hunter, and Grom Jabar included themselves in the assault. Also unknown to the rest, except for Lord Dark Matter, Senior Tribute Phantos the leader of the Darkhunters secreted himself amongst the rest. On a rocky planet barely big enough to be worthy of the name, the Crimson Centurion went to nurse his wounds. If this little planet had any worth it was its' hot springs, said to heal even the most grievously wounded. His battle with the Nega-Centurion had depleted his powers and had wounded his body. To make matters worse he was far far from the Source. A little relaxation was definitely in order. Crimson Centurion had doffed all this clothes except for his gauntlets, which he couldn't take off anyways, his mask and a pair of swimming trunks had just settled into a pool that would boil the skin off the average human, when a humungous ax came crashing down mere centimeters from his head. Rocks shattered and flew in a thousand directions. “Come little centurion,” a grumbling voice came from the vapor, “It is time to die.” At first the Crimson Centurion thought the being coming out of the vapor was his fellow centurion the Cyan Centurion, but that centurion never looked like this. In an instant he knew whom he faced. It was Grom Jabar the executioner of Lord Dark Matter. In an instant Crimson Centurion called upon his powers and flew from the pool the waters instantly vaporizing. Using the power of the Source, he was surrounded by crimson light and as the light faded a little his costume was once against snugly tight around his body. “By the Source,” Crimson Centurion mouthed. “How in the cosmos did you find me here?” A chuckle emerged from Grom Jabar's head-like body. “None escape the notice of Lord Dark Matter foolish centurion.” The Crimson Centurion was about to wipe the smirk off of Grom Jabir when he was hit in the side by the largest Cyber-claw that he had ever seen. It was only by the power of his gauntlets that he wasn't shredded in an instant. Instead the centurion and the cyber-claw slammed into more rocks creating an instant crater with centurion on the bottom. Cursing a little under his breathe the centurion unleashed a powerful burst of energy sending the big psychedelic cat flying away in a hissing rage. “Here now,” came the voice that sound almost like the roar of a cat. “Harming my pet does anger me. An' angering Kor the Hunter is something no being to be wantin'.” The tendril of a whip wrapped itself around the Crimson Centurions' ankle as he took once again to the sky. This time, however, the centurion refused to be grounded. There was a grunt from Kor as the beast man had to let go of his weapon or be dragged off the ground. Kor shared a few choice curses at the Crimson Centurion. Crimson Centurion only had a moment to activate his distress beacon before a burst of silvery energy slammed him once again into the ground. He felt instantly weaker and barely had time to get up on his hands and knees to see General Skorne striding across the rocky ground a malevolent look upon his face. The energy that struck the Crimson Centurion had felt familiar, almost like it came from the source. Before Skorne could reach him, Crimson Centurion regained his feet. He would face this servant of Lord Dark Matter on his knees. “That's alright Crimson Centurion,” General Skorne said coming nearer. “I prefer my foes to be on their feet so they can better see their doom at my hand with their fearful eyes.” General Skorne hefted his ax in one hand and silver energy coalesced in the other. Crimson Centurion was about to fly forward to engaged General Skorne when he felt a stabbing pain in his hip. He looked towards his hip seeing a strange syringe like device sticking in his flesh. How it got past his defenses he couldn't imagine. Just as quickly the device was wrenched out and flew a few yards into the waiting hands of Senior Tribute Phantos. Crimson Centurion almost fainted from the pain. In a calm measured voice Phantos spoke. “Admiral Garm, execute Razed Horizon.” “Razed Horizon,” General Skorne said nearby and that is all he had time to say. In the nearby Obsidian Throne, the admiral received the message from Lord Dark Matters' spy and gave the command to his troops. In a blink all of the assets of Lord Dark Matter were transported back to the Obsidian Throne, and with another flick of his hand every mounted weapon on the Obsidian Throne opened fire upon the unknown planet. The barrage only lasted a little while, but the entire planet was vaporized. However, the Obsidian Throne didn't stick around to see the aftermath. Hours later, lights of orange, pink, and green popped into existence not far from where once a small planet orbited an unassuming sun. The Orange, Pink and Green Centurions had heard the call of their fellow centurion and had made all haste. “Where is he?” the Pink Centurion asked, her green hair waving in the zero gravity of deep space. The Orange Centurion frowned in concentration, while the inhuman Green Centurion looked perplexed. “Where is he?” the Green Centurion communicated. “Where is the planet?” “Obviously,” the Orange Centurion said scanning the area. “It's no longer here. Wait, over there.” “By the Source,” the Pink Centurion mouthed after the trio had finally located the unconscious Crimson Centurion. His power barely providing him life support. “What could have happened to him?” “Dunno,” the Orange Centurion said, “But it's obviously dangerous around here. We need to get him home.” In the darkness of space three bright lights winked out and darkness reigned supreme. Thousands of light years away on the Dark Throneworld the Obsidian Throne had dropped off its passengers in the capital city of Despair. However, only Senior Tribune Phantos seemed to be happy. The others would've slain the tribune will in space if it wasn't for the sealed orders that Phantos carried. Orders signed by his dark majesty. Phantos stood on a platform overlooking the glory of the city of Despair when a nearby elevator opened and three beings disembarked. In the lead came Discordia the adopted daughter of Lord Dark Matter and a step behind her came Techamachus floating with the aid of his anti-gravity pod, and striding beside him came Za'Dahn the Inquisitor. The scientist and the torturer seemed to be lost in their conversation. Discordia marched up to Phantos and looked up at the Shadow Legionnaire in his environment suit. Scowling she said, “Do you have it.” Phantos gave a little bow and presented Discordia with a vial of reddish fluid with some bits of white floating in it. “Excellent,” Discordia said taking the vial. “Father will be most pleased.” That fool Crimson Centurion will pay for spurning me thought Discordia as she turned to Techamachus and Za'Dahn. Instantly the two stopped conferring. “Here Techamachus,” Discordia handed the scientist the vial. “How long will it take.” “Not long m'lady,” fawned Techamachus. “With the aid of Za'Dahn for programming and my own genius, not long at all.” Discordia frowned at Techamachus. She didn't entirely trust the man, but what choice did she have if he were to get her revenge on the Crimson Centurion. “It better not,” Discordia said, “I have little patients for failure and my Father has less.” Techamachus bowed as best he could as did Za'Dahn before Discordia strode off. “This'll be fun,” Za'Dahn said slapping the scientist on the shoulder. In the end it took Techamachus three months to perfect the clone. Using vats similar to the ones used to create the Nth Legionnaires a full grown clone of the Crimson Centurion was developed. Za'Dahn provided the necessary programming to make this Blood Centurion a willing servant of Lord Dark Matter. However, when the clone was brought out wearing his new blood red infinity armor something went wrong. The Blood Centurion broke free of the mental restrains put upon him by Za'Dahn. Before he fled from Despair and the Throneworld he destroyed three cohorts of the Nth Legion and damaged Techamachus enough to put the scientists in a coma for the next three days. As the Blood Centurion fled into the dark skies over Despair he shouted out, “Who am I!” Nearby in an unremarkable tower the light of the Blood Centurion fell upon four faceted eyes before the head turned to his work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Egyptoid Posted December 14, 2010 Author Report Share Posted December 14, 2010 Re: Cosmic Centurions You must spread some Reputation around before giving it to The Arc again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Major Tom 2009 Posted December 16, 2010 Report Share Posted December 16, 2010 Re: Cosmic Centurions Allies of the Cosmic Centurions The Cosmic Centurions are not alone in their battles against the evil of Lord Dark Matter and his minions. Not only can they rely upon the aid of such powerful beings as Pamun Dyrakk -- the Positronic Man -- they can also rely upon the assistance of other groups of superpow- ered beings as well. One such group is a team of five young people -- each from a different world -- who have been chosen and brought together to become defend- ers of the galaxy, and who have been granted the ability to tap into the energies of a offshoot of the Source. Their mission: to battle cosmic evil in all its forms, and to defend the innocents of the galaxy. They are... The Star Centurions Several years ago, before the arrival of Lord Dark Matter and his forces in this region of the galaxy, an Elysian exploration vessel that was charting an unexplored re- gion of space suffered a catastrophic accident which caused it to go off course, crash-landing upon a habitable world. Of all the vessel's crew and passengers, only the leader of the exploration mission -- Arvan Dyrakk, father of Pamun Dyrakk, the Positronic Man -- survived the crash. With both the disaster beacon and subspace communications irreparably damaged, and no way to repair the ship, Arvan set out to ensure that he would survive, at least until a search and rescue mission could find him. After burying his colleagues and the ship's crew, and gath- ering what food and water supplies he could carry with him, he set out to find an adequate shelter from the elements. Two days later, he found what he was look- ing for -- and much more. Deep inside a mountain cave, Arvan Dyrakk found the entrance to an advanced scientific complex, a complex whose technology was every bit as advanced as that of Elysia itself; indeed, some of the technology was even more advanced than anything he had ever seen before. Exploring the various levels of the com- plex, he came at last to a huge, domed chamber, which contained only one thing: a globe some six feet in diameter, which was floating in midair above a circular, stepped platform, and pulsating with a yellowish-white light. Stepping onto the platform, he examined the globe closely, eventually touching it. The instant he did so, his consciousness made contact with an even more power- ful one inhabiting the globe. Identifying itself as the Starsoul, the consciousness told Dyrakk that it had once been part of an energy known as the Source, but that it had become separated from it during a great cataclysm in the far-distant past. As the ages passed, the fragment grew in power, eventually becoming as powerful as the Source, and becoming self-aware in the process. In its travels through the galaxy, the Starsoul came across the complex it now inhabited, and which had been built by one of the member races that had been part of a great all- iance thousands of years ago, but which had come to an end during the same cataclysm that had split its essence from the Source. The Starsoul also told Dyrakk that, in the course of becoming self-aware, it had developed precognitve abilities, allowing it at times to see momentary glimpses of the future. One such glimpse was particularly frightening: a vision of a great darkness seek- ing to encompass the entire galaxy, trying to impose its evil rule upon everything that lived. The Starsoul told Dyrakk that, while the vision it had seen had not yet come to pass, it would, and that champions would need to be found and pre- pared to face the darkness. Unfortunately, the Starsoul itself could not leave the complex to find and recruit the champions that would be needed in the not-so- distant future; it needed to remain where it could use the advanced technology of the complex to watch for the arrival of the enemy. What it could do was to empower an agent with a fraction of its power so that he or she could travel throughout the galaxy in search of suitable candidates to become galactic pro- tectors. Arvan Dyrakk knew what was about to be asked of him: that he become the agent of the Starsoul, seeking out worthy beings who could be entrusted with the power necessary to combat the approaching darkness. Knowing that to do so meant that he would be forever giving up his chance to return home, Dyrakk nevertheless off- ered his services as an agent to the Starsoul. Accepting his offer, the Starsoul bestowed a portion of its vast power upon Dyrakk, transforming him and giving him extraordinary abilities and powers. Not only could he now travel through space without the need of a spaceship or bulky life-support equipment, he was also able to know exactly where he was in the galaxy, and could travel invisibly, so as not to attract the wrong kind of attention. So that he would be able to communicate with the Starsoul across interstellar distances, his latent telepathic abilities -- which he had been unaware of -- were activated and enhanced. In addition, and as a result of being given part of the Starsoul's power, Dyrakk was now immortal. The only outward sign of his transformation was that his hair had turned pure white in color. To reflect his new role -- that of being not only a recruiter, but also an instructor and counselor to those being chosen as galactic protectors -- Arvan Dyrakk took for himself a new name, that of Mentor-Prime. He then began the task of finding the first of those who would become "guardians of the light", as the Starsoul put it. (Next: covering the backgrounds of the Star Centurions). Major Tom 2009 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Major Tom 2009 Posted December 17, 2010 Report Share Posted December 17, 2010 Re: Cosmic Centurions Allies of the Cosmic Centurions The Star Centurions (continued) The first of those chosen by Mentor-Prime to become a galactic protector was a young member of the Drakhari (a race of, for lack of a better term, dragon-people) named Viridios. Although he was only 900 years old (for a species whose members can reach the age of 10,000 years or more, 900 years is young), Viridios was considered by many of his people to be one of the best of them; not only was he a scientist as well as a scholar, he was also one of the planet's finest warriors, and lived by a code of honor and nobility that would not have been out of place in Earth's distant past, when knights fought battles for their king and country. After secretly ob- serving Viridios, Mentor-Prime decided that he would indeed be a worthy first candidate. His wisdom would help to shape the development of the first group of galactic protectors, and hopefully others as well. Making himself known to the planet's ruling family (the Drakhari were ruled by a hereditary royal family -- not unlike England on Earth -- which were advised by a democratically-elected Council of Representatives), Mentor- Prime introduced himself and explained the reason for his visit. While they listened to what he had to say about his reason for being on their world, the King and Queen of the Drakhari were understandably skeptical of his story (until Mentor-Prime's arrival, the Drakhari had no knowledge of life on other worlds; for all they knew, he was a spy sent to prepare the way for some kind of invasion). It was only when Mentor-Prime asked if there were any telepaths among the Drakhari and voluntarily offered to be scan- ned to prove the truth of what he had told them, that the royal couple began to believe that there might just be truth to his story. Bringing three of the planet's most powerful and skilled Truthseekers (the Drakhari term for those with telepathic powers) to their court, the royal couple directed them to scan the mind of Mentor-Prime to determine the truth of his story. Within minutes, the Truthseekers had the answer that the King and Queen wanted to know: that Mentor-Prime had indeed spok- en the truth about what was going to happen, and that he only wanted to help. Satisfied that Mentor-Prime was indeed a friend, the royal couple asked what they could do to help. After learning that Mentor-Prime had decided that Viridios would be an ideal candidate to become the first of a group of galactic protectors, the King and Queen summoned Viridios, direct- ing him to come directly to their private chambers. After his arrival, Viridios was introduced to Mentor-Prime and informed about his reason for being on their world. Like his sovereigns before him, Viridios was skeptical about Mentor-Prime's story; it was only when the Truthseekers shared what they'd seen in the Elysian's mind that Viridios accepted that what he'd been told was indeed the truth. Although he accepted the truth of what Mentor-Prime had warned them about, and of the necessity for a force to combat what was about to descend upon them, Viridios was torn between accepting the responsibility that was being offered to him and his oaths of loyalty and service to his sovereigns. Seeing his indecision, and accurately guessing its cause, the royal couple told Viridios that he would not be abandoning his responsibilities to his people by accepting the respon- sibility of being a galactic protector; he would, in fact, be serving them in a way that no one had ever dreamed of doing before. They also told him that if he did accept, he did so with their full approval and blessing. Relieved by what the King and Queen had told him, Viridios accepted Mentor- Prime's invitation. He was ready to leave then, but Mentor-Prime told him that there still others that he needed to find. He did say that he would return once he'd found the other candidates; in the meantime, he suggested that Viridios get his affairs in order. With that, Mentor-Prime departed, leaving his Drakharian candidate to prepare for the journey of a lifetime... Appearance: Viridios (Star Centurion codename: Draco) has those features common to his species -- large wings, a tail, red eyes, and an extraordinarily tough hide. He also has a ridged crest that runs from the top of his head to just above his shoulders, and a pair of horns set above his eyes. He stands 9' tall, and weighs 1,000 lbs. His wingspan measures 19' from wingtip to wing- tip, and he has claws in his hands and feet that he can extend or retract as need be. Personality: Viridios is something of an anomaly in a medieval-style culture: he is a warrior who values intelligence more than strength or martial prowess. His core belief is that, while strength is necessary to fight one's battles, it's far more important to be able to use that strength intelligently, in order to not only minimize the damage to one's surroundings, but also to minimize the danger to any innocent bystanders. As the leader of the Star Centurions, he has been largely successful in imparting that basic philosophy to his team- mates (he was pleased to discover that Powerstar has a similar philosophy, which lessened the amount of work that he'd had to do with regards to teach- ing them to fight in an intelligent and disciplined manner). There is also the part of him that is a pure scholar and scientist that is delighted by the chance to see and to learn new things; partly for the sheer joy of discovery, but mostly because he believes that his world needs to know about the larger cos- mos that lies just beyond their skies, before either his people found out what was out there, or what was out there found them. Powers: Viridios possesses those powers which are natural for his kind -- the ability to breathe flame, and the power of winged flight. Since being given the power of a Star Centurion, however, those abilities have been considerably altered. Not only can he breathe a jet of stellar-intensity plasma (the hottest state in which matter can exist without becoming energy), but he can now traverse interstellar distances by means of hyperspace travel. Folding his wings close to his body (the way that he would if performing a high-speed power dive in atmosphere) enables him to enter hyperspace; extending them to the "cruise" position (both wings extended straight out from side to side, as if he were glid- ing) allows him to make the transition back into normal space. In addition to the aforementioned powers, Viridios also possesses enhanced senses of hearing and smell, as well as the ability to visually percieve cert- ain wavelengths of the electromagnetic spectrum -- infrared and ultraviolet radiation, as well as such things as x-ray radiation. He also possesses the ability to know exactly where he is in space, allowing him to safely navigate the cosmos without fear of becoming lost. His physical strength, which was considerably greater than that of an Earth human, has been increased even further by the power he was given; he is able to lift approximately 80 tons under Earth normal conditions. Only Powerstar has greater physical strength, with Ursus, Starstorm, and Dwarfstar coming in at third-, fourth-, and fifth- strongest, respectively speaking. Next: the second of Mentor-Prime's recruits. Major Tom 2009 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Major Tom 2009 Posted December 19, 2010 Report Share Posted December 19, 2010 Re: Cosmic Centurions Allies of the Cosmic Centurions The Star Centurions (continued) After leaving the Drakhari homeworld, Mentor-Prime traveled to a world he had visited in years past, back in the early days of his career as a tech- nologist. A jungle world inhabited by a race of cat-like humanoids known as the Felani, it had been his first assignment from the Science Council, who were at that time involved with the first-ever survey of neighboring star systems to be conducted by them. Although the intent was to survey the various worlds of the systems to be visited without actually contact- ing their inhabitants, the mission of which Dyrakk was part failed in that regard when the landing of their ship was spotted by one of the planet's natives: a teenage girl named Shayna, the daughter of the chieftain of the J'bata clan, one of several such groups that called the world home. Although frightened by the arrival of the Elysian ship -- the Felani had long been the victims of interstellar slavers, many of whom had become extremely wealthy through the capture and sale of exotic Felani women -- Shayna was also curious, and decided to secretly watch the "sky-people" in order to find out what they were up to. She watched them for days, managing to avoid being spotted by any of the expedition's members, until one day when she and Arvan Dyrakk literally stumbled across one another while the latter was conducting a geological survey near the expedition's base camp. Suddenly coming face-to-face with one of the "sky-people", Shayna turned to run, but before she was able to go very far, she tripped on a tree root and fell, not only breaking an arm but twisting an ankle as well. Terrified and half-expecting to be harmed by the "sky-man", Shayna was in- stead surprised when Dyrakk gently picked her up and carried her to his ship, where the expedition's doctor treated her injuries. While the kindness with which they were treating her went a long way toward convincing her that the "sky-people" meant her no harm, it was only when they gave Shayna a trans- lator device so that she would be able to communicate with them, and explain- ed why they were there on her world that she realized that these people were friends. Since she wouldn't be able to go anywhere until her injuries healed, she offered to help the expedition with their survey, by identifying the various plants and animals of her world, and how they were used by her people. With her help, the expedition managed to complete their survey of her world ahead of sched- ule. A side benefit of her time spent with the expedition was that, by the time they were ready to leave the planet, Shayna possessed the full knowledge of how to both speak and write the Elysian language (Elysian translator mechan- isms not only translate spoken languages so that their wearers can comprehend what's being spoken to them, but also impart a working knowledge of both the spoken and written forms of the Elysian language upon the minds of the wearers). Now, a decade later, Arvan Dyrakk was returning to the Felani homeworld to find the young woman who had come to refer to him as "Uncle Arvan", in the hope that she would prove to be a suitable candidate for the Starsoul's proposed team of galactic protectors. After landing on the planet, Mentor-Prime used his newly- awakened telepathic powers to search for Shayna. It wasn't long before he lo- cated not only her, but her village as well. Deciding that a face-to-face meeting with both Shayna and the village elders -- one of whom was Shayna's father -- would help to impress the importance of his quest upon them, he set out for her village. It wasn't long before he found it, startling the sentries at the entrance and causing them to point their spears at him. Before anything unpleasant could take place, however, a familiar-looking young woman stepped up to the sentries and persuaded them to lower their spears, telling them that the "sky-man" stand- ing before them was a friend. In the ten years that had passed since he had originally met her, Shayna had grown into an extraordinarily beautiful young woman, and a strong one as well. After greeting one another, Mentor-Prime told her that there was a matter of great importance that he needed to discuss not only with her, but also with her family as well. Knowing from her past experiences with "Uncle Arvan" that he rarely said anything he didn't mean, Shayna quickly took him to meet her parents, the Clanchief and Shamaness of the J'bata clan. After being intro- duced to them, Mentor-Prime told Shayna's parents of the Starsoul's warning, and of how champions would need to be found, and given the power and train- ing to fight the coming darkness; he also told them that he believed that their daughter had the very qualities that would make her an ideal candidate to be- come a galactic protector. Somehow knowing that what Mentor-Prime had told them was the truth, the Clanchief and Shamaness asked their only daughter an important question: did she trust Mentor-Prime enough to not only believe him, but also to go with him to become a defender of the innocent? As befitting a Clanchief's daughter, Shayna's answer was direct and to the point: absolutely, and without question. Realizing that it might be years before they ever saw her again, but proud of her for choosing to stand against evil, Shayna's parents gave her their blessing and wished her the best in all things. Mentor-Prime informed them that there was time enough for them to get Shayna's affairs in order, and to spend the remaining time before she had to leave as a family. He also told them that there were others that he needed to find before he returned to take her, and that he would contact them when that time would come. With that, he took his leave of them, and proceeded to his next destination... Appearance: Shayna (Star Centurion codename: Starstorm) has those features that are common for her race -- short, soft fur which covers her entire body, with light-colored fur on the majority of her body, and dark-colored hair on her head; vertically-slitted eyes; short, razor-sharp retractible claws on her hands and feet; slightly large, pointed ears. As is common for her clan, Shayna's color- ation is similar to that of an Earth cheetah: light, golden-brown fur with black spots covering most of her body, with shoulder-length honey-brown hair on her head. There is a patch of white fur that extends upward from her lower torso, eventually covering her face. Unlike Earth cheetahs, however, Shayna does not have the 'teardrop' markings on her face that are characteristic of cheetahs. Her eyes are gold in color, and she stands 5'10" in height. She is the equivalent of 23 Earth years old at present. Personality: As the daughter of a Felani Clanchief, Shayna was taught about re- sponsibility at an early age, and that actions have consequences. She was also taught that rash actions have the most serious consequences of all, and are as harsh to innocent bystanders as they are to those responsible for them. For this reason, she is very careful not to act in a way that would cause any harm to the innocent. She used to have her people's innate distrust of "sky-people", until an act of kindness shown to her by members of an Elysian survey team taught her that not all "sky-people" were evil, and that there were those deserving of trust. She is also very curious about things which she knows absolutely nothing about, which trait has sometimes gotten her into some awkward situations at times. Powers: Shayna possesses those abilities that are natural for her race: sensory capabilities beyond those of normal Earth humans (and related humanoid species); most notably, low-light night vision, as well as enhanced hearing and smell. She is also able to run at speeds of 75 to 80 miles per hour for short periods of time (a maximum of two minutes, no more), and is able to leap higher and farther than an Earth human of similar size and build. Those powers which she possesses as a Star Centurion are as impressive as they are destructive, mimicking as they do the effects of a solar flare: a high-intensity plasma discharge with an electromagnetic field which severely disrupts the funct- ion of any unshielded electronic equipment. The energy blasts which Starstorm is capable of firing from her hands come in one of two forms: either as a cone-shaped blast of flame which can melt most metals and alloys, save those which are comp- osed of extradimensional or extraterrestial substances; or as a massive bolt which has been brought to the point of fusion, creating a blast of tremendous explosive force which few things are capable of withstanding. Starstorm is also able to generate a plasma field around herself and, by flying around an opponent, attack him or her with extreme heat. She also possesses those powers which all of the Star Centurions do: the ability to fly at faster-than-light speeds by traversing hyperspace, super-strength, and, as a result of the energy which grants her her powers, is immune to aging, disease, and the rigors of space travel (she has the ability to function in space without the need for life supprt equipment). Starstorm also has the extrasensory power to determine where she is in outer space, making it impossible for her to become lost. Because of an accident in which she was exposed to the energy-field of an alien psionic device, Starstorm now shares a telepathic link with her team- mate Powerstar. Next: the third person to be recruited by Mentor-Prime. Major Tom 2009 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Egyptoid Posted December 19, 2010 Author Report Share Posted December 19, 2010 Re: Cosmic Centurions anyone drawn a pic of a Star Centurion yet? what do they dress like Major Tom ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Major Tom 2009 Posted December 20, 2010 Report Share Posted December 20, 2010 Re: Cosmic Centurions anyone drawn a pic of a Star Centurion yet? what do they dress like Major Tom ? As they're supposed to draw their powers from an evolved offshoot of the Source, I thought that it was only appropriate to give them a variation of the uniform worn by the humanoid members of the Cosmic Centurions. Here's a list of the Fabrica costume elements that I used for the Star Centurion outfit: Mascara #82, Camisa #48, Ombros #3, Cintura #16, Punhos #5, Pernas #22, Luvas A: #23 / B: #2, Botas #7 Their symbol is an eight-pointed yellow sunburst (Simbolo #39, IIRC) superimposed on a circular red field (use the minus key on the menu to shrink it down about 3 or 4 times). For the insignia to turn out right, the circle needs to be put down first and then shrunk down, then put the sunburst onto the circle. As for the uniform itself, I decided to go with a standard color scheme for all five uniforms: blue for the arms, legs, the mask and the 'hourglass' shape on the torso (the shade of blue that I used is same as what's on Superman's uniform), to which I applied the 'starfield' texture (which slightly darkened the blue color); the rest of the outfit is silver (OK, there's no silver color anywhere on the palette, but the shading which is already on those areas should be enough to get the idea across). The belt is black, while the outer trim and the inner studs are a yellow-gold in color, and the wristbands are the same yellow-gold (that's one of the things which differs the SC uniform from the CC uniform: the wristbands don't have the studs on them the way that the CC wristbands do). EDIT: In checking to see if I had described the color scheme for the SC uniforms correctly, I found that I had screwed up a little bit: the 'hourglass' shape on the torso is actually white, not blue. Major Tom 2009 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dmjalund Posted December 20, 2010 Report Share Posted December 20, 2010 Re: Cosmic Centurions you do realise that for every cosmic centurion, there should be 100 cosmic soldiers for him/her to lead? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Major Tom 2009 Posted December 20, 2010 Report Share Posted December 20, 2010 Re: Cosmic Centurions Allies of the Cosmic Centurions The Star Centurions (continued) Once more traveling the vast distances between the stars, Mentor-Prime continued his search for those who would be worthy candidates for the role of being a galactic protector. For two weeks after leaving the Felani homeworld, he visited a number of inhabited systems, but found no one who met the necessary criteria for selection. Finally, after turning core- ward to search the as-yet unexplored territory in that region of space, he came across an inhabited system with two life-bearing worlds --worlds which were inhabited by a race of ursinoids (bear-people). The innermost world, which he learned was called Arcasian Major, was the most advanced of the two worlds, having as it did the necessary infrastructure to support space travel -- indeed, the Arcasians had just begun to commence the first interstellar voyages that would take them beyond their home system. Arcasian Minor, the world at the outermost limit of the system's life-bearing zone, was in the early stages of being prepared for colonization, with the only inhabitants being construction workers, farmers, and scientists -- all of whom were working to make Arcasian Minor suitable for habitation. Because the world was also home to several species of large and overly-aggressive predators, there were also several soldiers stationed on the planet to protect the pre-colonization workers from them; at least, that was the official story. The real reason for the presence of the soldiers was because in the not-so- distant past, slavers had raided the Arcasian system in order to capture a shipload or more of young and healthy Arcasian males -- a valuable commod- ity on the interstellar slave market. Although he had hoped to find a suitable candidate on Arcasian Major, it was on Arcasian Minor that Mentor-Prime found who he'd been looking for without realiz- ing it: Arktosian F'l'va, an officer commanding one of the companies of soldiers that had been sent to protect the workers. Secretly observing the young Arcas- ian officer, Mentor-Prime soon discovered that he possessed the necessary qual- ities to be one of the Starsoul's galactic protectors: courageous and intelligent, ferocious in battle when need be, yet capable of showing compassion and mercy even to an enemy. Deciding that he'd found his third candidate, Mentor-Prime made his presence known to Arktosian. Although he was startled by the sudden appearance of the alien visitor, Arktosian was also astounded by the fact that, out of all of his fellow Arcasians on both worlds, that it was he whom Mentor- Prime wished to speak to. Listening intently to what Mentor-Prime had to say, not only about the coming evil but also about the need for champions to combat it, Arktosian knew that he couldn't stand by while countless innocents were about to be enslaved by a terrible darkness. Unfortunately, as he told Mentor-Prime, he couldn't just pack up and leave. If he was going to become a galactic protector, he'd need to talk to his superior officer to not only explain what was going on, but also to ask to be allowed to resign from the service. Mentor-Prime agreed with him that it was only right that he speak with his commander on this matter, and accompanied the young Arcasian to the headquarters of his unit. Securing an audience with Arktosian's CO, Mentor-Prime explained to him the reason for his visit, and of the need for Arktosian's services as a galactic protector. Under- standably reluctant to believe the story he'd been told, the Commander only relented and agreed to the request after being shown the same precognitive vision that the Starsoul had shared with Mentor-Prime. Granting his junior officer permission to resign from the Arcasian military, the Commander asked Mentor-Prime if there was anything else that was needed, to which the reply was yes: that Arktosian be allowed to finish his remaining duties before his resignation took effect, and that he be sent home to his family so that he could not only spend the remaining time before his depart- ure with them, but also to put his personal affairs in order. He also told them both that, when he was ready to pick up Arktosian, he would send word prior to his arrival. With his final instructions delivered, Mentor-Prime resumed his lonely journey through interstellar space... Appearance: Arktosian (Star Centurion codename: Ursus) resembles nothing else so much as a 7' tall, humanoid brown bear. Covered with brown fur over his entire body, Arktosian has sharp claws in his hands and feet, as well as razor-sharp fangs in his mouth, all of which he is able to use with great effect in close-quarters combat. Add his natural speed and strength to that, and you have a combatant that no sane being ever wants to face in combat. His eyes, normally black, glow with a bright yellowish-white light when he's in his Star Centurion identity. He is the equivalent of 25 Earth years old at this time. Personality: A trained warrior with the soul of a poet, Arktosian is happiest when he's in the midst of a peaceful activity; but let him catch sight of innocent people being harmed by evildoers, and the part of his personality that the minions of Lord Dark Matter have come to fear most comes to the fore: that of a ferocious and unstoppable fighter who doesn't stop until the last enemy has fallen, or is no long- er capable of fighting. The only circumstance under which he shows no mercy whatsoever to an enemy is when children have been endangered or harmed. In such cases, and to use an Earth expression or two, it's Katy Bar The Door and God help the unfortunate perpetrator he catches in the act. Powers: Even before being enhanced by the Star Centurion power, Ursus' natural weapons -- his fangs and claws -- were formidable weapons in their own right; since being given his powers, however, they are now capable of piercing and out- right shredding superalloys* and weaker metals. His sensory capabilities -- specific- ally, his senses of hearing, sight, and smell -- have also been enhanced, to levels beyond what even his fellow Arcasians are capable of detecting. Like his fellow Star Centurions, Ursus has unique powers beyond those possessed by his comrades-in-arms; in his case, the power to control and project gravimet- ric forces. He can use this power to either make objects float above the ground at any height he wishes, or he can increase the pull of gravity on said objects, making it impossible to move them from their position. This works equally well on living beings. In addition, he can fire gravitic force bolts from his hands, which strike his targets with immense force; as well as use what has become known as the "Black Hole Defense", in which he creates a field of powerful gravitational force around himself (and anyone standing close enough to him to benefit from this protection), which is powerful enough to cause energy blasts and physical projectiles -- bullets, missiles, etc. -- to turn away from him and strike the ground around him instead. Recently, and with Powerstar's help, he has developed a new way to use his power. By focusing his gravitic power into a sheath that complete- ly surrounds him, not only does he gain a kind of force-field protection, but the sheath also acts as a kind of 'energy exoskeleton', enabling him to exert twice his normal strength in combat (his normal strength is sufficient to allow him to lift in excess of 75 tons; with the sheath active, he can lift well over 150 tons). As with his fellow galactic protectors, Ursus' Star Centurion powers not only enable him to fly at faster-than-light speeds by means of hyperspace travel, they also en- able him to survive the rigors of space without the need for life-support equipment. He also possesses the ability to know precisely where he is in space, and is incap- able of becoming lost. The Centurion power also enables him to project blasts of pure energy at his opponents, and is self-regenerating. In addition, and because of the energy which gives him and the other Star Centur- ions their special powers, he is not only immune to nuclear, biological, and chemical agents, he has become immortal like his teammates. *This only refers to those alloys which use normal metals which exist naturally, not unusual alloys like the various forms of Adamantium which exist in the Marvel Universe, or alloys created in extradimensional realms. Next: Mentor-Prime's fourth recruit. Major Tom 2009 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Major Tom 2009 Posted December 21, 2010 Report Share Posted December 21, 2010 Re: Cosmic Centurions Allies of the Cosmic Centurions The Star Centurions (continued) Continuing his coreward voyage, Mentor-Prime eventually came upon an Earth-like world, one which was inhabited by a humanoid race whose mem- bers were characterized by their pale blue skin, slightly darker blue hair, and slightly pointed ears. They also stood between 8 and 9 feet tall, and were, technologically speaking, at the same level of development that his own people had been at some five centuries earlier (approximately where Earth was at in the late 1940s and early 1950s). Learning through a low- level telepathic scan of the inhabitants' minds that their world was known as Cerolon, Mentor-Prime began his search for the next galactic protector- to-be. Using his telepathy to search through the minds of the Cerolonians one by one, as he had done at Viridios' and Arktosian's homeworlds, he look- ed for someone who possessed the qualities necessary to be a candidate. A full day and half the planetary population later, Mentor-Prime at last found what he'd been looking for: a Cerolonian with the right qualities to become one of the galactic protectors. Traveling to where he'd sensed the candidate was at, Mentor-Prime was surprised to discover that she was a teenage girl, not much more than 14 or 15 years old. She was also very short -- only 5' tall -- compared to her fellow Cerolonians, a group of whom were mercilessly tormenting her about her lack of height, calling her such names as "little runt" and "bluebug". It was only when the girl's tormentors switched from verbal to physical abuse that Mentor-Prime intervened, using his telepathic powers to trigger a fear response in their minds, causing them to run from the scene in terror. Once they were gone from sight and the girl was alone, he dropped his invisibility and introduced himself to her. Although startled by the sudden appearance of a non-Cerolonian, and under- standably so -- the idea of intelligent life in the cosmos other than their own was, at that time, as impossible for the Cerolonians to believe in as it was for the people of Earth -- the girl's shock quickly turned into excitement and curi- osity, as she realized that she was the first of her people to meet an intelli- gent being from another world. Introducing herself as Arielle, the girl asked if there was anyone important on the planet that Mentor-Prime wanted to speak with, only to discover to her astonishment that it was she that he had come to find. As he had done with the previous candidates, Mentor-Prime shared the vision given to him by the Starsoul of the darkness about to befall the gal- axy, and told her of the need for champions to combat it. Arielle didn't know what frightened her more: the idea that such powerful evil could exist, or the fact that Mentor-Prime had identified her as someone capable of facing that evil. For his part, Mentor-Prime was reluctant to ask someone barely out of child- hood to accept the responsibility of a job that would not only require her to risk her life fighting a monstrous evil, but also run the risk of dying a horrible death; nevertheless, he had to ask her: was she willing to become a galactic protector, and risk her life to defend not only her own world, but countless others as well? Arielle considered his question for a few seconds before giving Mentor-Prime her answer: she was indeed willing to accept all that being a galactic pro- tector would mean for her, for good or ill. Relieved that she was willing to be- come a galactic protector, Mentor-Prime told her that they would have to speak with her parents before anything else was done; to which Arielle replied that that wouldn't be necessary, as she had no parents or any other family left alive -- they'd been killed in an accident years ago, leaving her alone in the world. Since there was no one with whom she could stay until he was ready to begin his return journey, Mentor-Prime asked Arielle if she'd like to travel with him on the last part of his journey, before traveling with him and the other candidates to where they would be given their training. Eager to see other worlds and new things, Arielle gladly accepted his invitation, and together, the two of them left Cerolon and embarked upon the last leg of the journey, and the search for the last of the candidates to become galactic protectors... Appearance: Arielle (Star Centurion codename: Dwarfstar) has many of the features which are common to Cerolonians -- pale blue skin, slightly darker blue hair, blue eyes, and pointed ears -- save one: her height. In a species whose members can sometimes reach heights of 10' tall, with the average being between 8' and 9' tall, a height of 5' is considered the mark of a dwarf. Personality: Although she used to be sensitive about her lack of height com- ared to others of her own kind, her time spent among people that are as tall as she is (with more than a few being shorter or taller) has gone a long way toward helping her to realize that it isn't how tall or short a person is that counts most in life -- it's what a person does in life that matters most. The friendship of her teammates -- people who accept her for who she is, instead of what she is -- has only helped to reinforce that realization for her. As a result, her outlook on life has become a great deal happier than it had been previously, in spite of the danger she faces as a Star Centurion on an almost daily basis. Powers: As a Star Centurion, Arielle has a set of separate, yet interconnected powers which she is able to activate simultaneously -- not only can she shrink in size to a height of just under 5 inches, she can also increase the density of her body to the point where she weighs a little over 14,000 pounds. Surprising- ly, she is still able to fly even with her increased density, which she puts to good use in combat, along with her reduced size. Her physical strength is also increased in her shrunken, increased-density state: normally, she is able to lift 1,800 pounds; at her reduced size, she can lift a little over 112,000 pounds. When in combat, Arielle uses her small size to not only avoid being hit, but also to maneuver her opponents into positions that leave them at a disadvantage with regards to being able to attack her teammates; this has the result of frus- trating her opponents to the point where they become angry, and begin to make mistakes which either she or her teammates can exploit. She tends to hold back on using her enhanced strength in a fight, preferring to keep it in reserve as a "secret weapon" (her reasoning is that most opponents don't have a reason to suspect that someone of her reduced size could be so incredibly strong; it's only when she winds up using an opponent as a melee weapon when all else fails, that her enemies start to realize that there's more to Dwarfstar than they knew of). In addition to her special powers, Arielle/Dwarfstar possesses the same abilities as her teammates: the ability to survive in space without the need for bulky life- support gear, the ability to fly at faster-than-light speeds by means of hyper- space travel, the extrasensory ability to know precisely where she is in the cos- mos (ensuring that she can never become lost), the power to fire bolts of pure energy from her hands, immunity to disease and nuclear/biological/chemical agents, and -- as a result of the energy which grants her her abilities and pow- ers -- has become immortal. Next: Mentor-Prime's fifth -- and final -- recruit. Major Tom 2009 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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